| Forest Management means treating it as an organisation, managing its flora and fauna, administering it, protecting it and taking care of people dependent on it. To do this, you have to have scientific and technical knowledge related to growth and preservation of forests. You have to learn about eilviculture (forest development), protection, forest mensuration (measuring trees), managing natural and other resources
As a forest Manager, you get to explore the jungles and live in some of the most beautiful places. It has a philanthropic element to it as well. "You get to do some social development work -- look after some of the neediest communities living in abject poverty, protect wildlife. "Most importantly, you help conserve forests, critical for controlling global warming.
The IFS training includes working with forest rangers and also police officers so that one knows what do in case of an encounter with poachers. And at the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM), students are groomed to be forest managers, who would care for and utilise the jungles like the precious resource they are.
Career in Forest management today doesn't have to essentially be about growing trees. "It's about people management, too. It means interacting with tribals and villagers who live PHOTOS: AP & PTI in and around forests and derive their sustenance from it. These communities have to get actively involved in protecting the forests, helping in regeneration and conservation practices. The government by itself cannot manage this wealth, which is vulnerable to poachers because of the great value of its timber and wildlife. One needs more than forest guards to look after this wealth."
Forests do need care and protection. In their report on `Population pressure and deforestation in India. "The enormity of forest stock scarcity in India can be judged from India's position in the world in terms of population and forest resources. India possesses around 16 per cent of the world's population and 15 per cent of world's livestock, with only 2.4 per cent of the world's land area and 1.7 per cent of the world's forest stock."
The IIFM today provides consultancy to government departments, MNCs and other agencies on agro-forestry, marketing, non-timber forest produce, grassland management, silviculture systems, eco-development, forestry planning and management, etc. "It's about forest development and the management sector.
How satisfying it is to do something for the villagers and tribals in the forested areas. Small things matter: "Sometimes you may find you have some whitewash to spare and you do up all the homes in a small hamlet. Sometimes you find that a village lacks fresh water supply and decide to dig up some wells... There are often runins with poachers and the forest mafia.
How Do I get Forest Management Programme
Take up science at Plus Two level to great careers. Entrance to the IIFM's PG diploma in forest management and fellow programme in management is through the Indian Institute of Management's Commman Admission Test. Recruitment to IFS through an annual civil service exam conducted by the Union Public Service Commission. Applicants should hold a BSc degree in maths, physics, chemistry, botany, zoology, geology, statistics, veterinary science or hold a Bachelor's degree in engineering, forestry or agriculture or be a Bachelor of medicine and surgery.
Institutes for Forest Management
- Indian Institute of Forest Management, Bhopal
- Aligarh Muslim University
- Dr. YS Parmer University of Agriculture & Forestry, Solan
- Forestry Research Institute, Dehradun
- Postgraduate School, Indian Agriculture Research Institute, New Delhi
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